What do the closure and sale of a local resort, a rattlesnake and JJ Watt have in common? All were featured in the top 10 headlines in Lake Country in 2018.

1. Olympia closes

The top story of the year: Olympia Resort in Oconomowoc closes. Employees learned of the closure at a company Christmas party on Jan. 9. Long-term tenants were given just a couple weeks to move out, and events scheduled at the resort in upcoming month — including weddings — were canceled.

Teresa Beltran(Photo: Waukesha County Sheriff's Department/Submitted)

2. Missing Pewaukee teen found

The second most-clicked-on story this year reported the happy news that missing Pewaukee teen Teresa Beltran had been found.

Beltran, 17, went missing July 31. The Waukesha County Sheriff's Department said she voluntarily ran away. By Aug. 5, she had been found.

3. OHS principal Joseph Moylan out

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Joseph Moylan, principal at Oconomowoc High School, has been with the district since 2002-03. On Feb. 28, the district announced Moylan had resigned.(Photo: Rick Wood/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

6. Snake video goes viral

An Ixonia man hiking at Devil's Lake in July thought quick when he spotted a 40-inch-long rattlesnake crossing the path. John Hendricks took a quick video; his sister later posted it on Facebook, where it quickly amassed more than 300,000 views.

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John Hendricks of Ixonia encountered a rattlesnake during a hike at Devil's Lake State Park in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
John Hendricks, Submitted

7. Body found in Okauchee Lake identified

The last time anyone saw 31-year-old Thomas Engel was June 17, 1996, when he went missing while swimming near a boat in Okauchee Lake. A woman who was with him at the time told police the two were swimming when Engel became distressed. She climbed back on the boat to throw him something to assist him, but by the time she turned around, he was gone.

8. JJ Watt commercial shot in Pewaukee

The 2-minute 30 second commercial, "JJ Watt on Where His Dreams Began," debuted on the American Family Facebook page on Sept. 13 and featured the Houston Texans player talking about his journey from a small-town guy to the National Football League star that he is today.

9. Historic Lynndale Farms Raceway sign uncovered after decades

John Hanus had made the drive to his brother's Pewaukee home hundreds of times over the past 30 years. But then one day as he drove past, he spotted something he had never seen before: a decades-old sign, hidden beneath a coat of chipped white paint on the side of a barn, advertising for the long-defunct Lynndale Farms Raceway.

The paint on the side of an old white barn has chipped away revealing a decades-old sign advertising for the now-defunct Lynndale Race Track as seen on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2018. The track operated for several years in the 1960s.(Photo: Scott Ash/Now News Group)

At the top of the list: the village of Elm Grove (53122) with a median household income of $119,512. Okauchee came in second, at $114,141; Mequon was third at $105,865; Colgate, fourth, $104,658; and River Hills, Fox Point, Whitefish Bay, Bayside and Glendale (53217, collectively) was fifth at $98,750. Rounding out the top 10: Brookfield, Richfield, Thiensville, Wales and Delafield, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

Kendall Kontranowski, 10, of Delafield, takes a selfie with her mom Kristin during the annual Delafield Tree Lighting event on Friday, Nov. 16, 2018. The event, hosted by the City of Delafield Tourism, featured live music, free cookies, hot cocoa and more. Scott Ash/Now News Group

A flag reflects on the bell of a horn as the 132nd Wisconsin Army National Guard Band performs at the seventh annual Operation Honor: A Salute to Veterans in Waukesha on Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018. Scott Ash/Now News Group

Catholic Memorial sets up for a kickoff in a swirl of snow during WIAA Division 3 Level 4 play against New Berlin Eisenhower Nov. 9 at Kettle Moraine. The Crusaders defeated the Lions, 41-14, to punch their ticket to the state title game. C.T. Kruger/Now News Group

Homestead's bench empties as the final seconds tick down in the Highlanders' 51-14 victory over Brookfield Central in the Division 2 state championship game at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison on Nov. 16, 2018. C.T. Kruger/Now News Group

Delafield's Clock Tower Square is filled with color during the annual Delafield Tree Lighting event on Friday, Nov. 16, 2018. The event, hosted by the City of Delafield Tourism, featured live music, free cookies, hot cocoa and more. Scott Ash/Now News Group

Runner and walkers pause for the Star Spangled Banner before the start of the Kelly Johnson Foundation's first Turkey Trot 5K Run/Walk at Mitchell Park on Nov. 24. The Foundation helps make college more affordable for hard working students. C.T. Kruger/Now News Group

Maddie (right) and Charlie Steffenhagen wait for thousands of lights to illuminate and for Santa to arrive as part of Greendale's annual Tree Lighting in front of Village Hall on Nov. 23. C.T. Kruger/Now News Group

New Berlin Eisenhower sophomore Adam Joda reaches for the ball during the WIAA Division 2 state championship match against Oregon on Saturday at Uihlein Soccer Park in Milwaukee. Scott Ash/Now News Group

Allison Young and Chris Henley (right) watch the first South Milwaukee Lions Club Lighted Christmas Parade roll along 15th Avenue near City Hall on Nov. 24 that followed the Old Fashioned Christmas festivities at City Hall. C.T. Kruger/Now News Group

Campbell Young works on a design for a bridge that she and siblings Rhett and Adeline would build using newspaper, yard and pipe cleaners to span a tub during a STEAM - science, technology, engineering, art and math - program at the Menomonee Falls Library on Nov. 14. C.T. Kruger/Now News Group

Nicolet junior Jalen Johnson rises for a dunk during a practice on Nov. 19. Johnson is one of nation's top-ranked players in the Class of 2020. He transferred from Sun Prairie at the start of the school year. Curt Hogg/Now News Group

Utezi Kalunbula, 6, mans his booth offering triangle games during the Cloud 9 Workshop's Kidpreneur Fair that featured 15 children in grades 1 through 5 selling products they created. C.T. Kruger/Now News Group

Pam Behrend transfers turkey into a chaffing dish pan for serving to an anticipated 400 diners at the Christ the King Lutheran Church's seventh annual Thanksgiving Gathering on Nov. 21. C.T. Kruger/Now News Group

Village of Fox Point employees provide waste collection services from residents' driveways, along with yard waste collection and roadside leaf removal in the fall. Recycling collection is contracted out to a company. C.T. Kruger/Now News Group

A child's teepee in a second floor bedroom at the 26th annual Christmas Fantasy House with 18 rooms decorated by more than 16 area decorators for benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities Eastern Wisconsin. The Fantasy house will be open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Nov. 9, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Nov. 10 and 11. Parking and shuttle to the House is at Ridgewood Baptist Church, 2720 Lilly Road, Brookfield. Tickets are $20 at the door. C.T. Kruger/Now News Group

Senior Trang Mau checks a box before sealing it for the Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child project. Members of the Sussex Hamilton Junior Optimist International club packed shoebox-sized containers with toys, clothing, personal care and other items on Nov. 7 as part of a service project with the Sussex/Lisbon/Lannon Optimist Club. C.T. Kruger/Now News Group

Nicolet's Kobe Johnson rises up for a layup over Sonny Phinisee during practice on Nov. 19. Johnson, along with his older brother, Jalen, transferred from Sun Prairie at the beginning of the school year. Curt Hogg/Now News Group

The Cedarburg Civic Band performs during Cedarburg's annual tree lighting ceremony at the Community Center on Monday, Nov. 26, 2018. The event, hosted by Cedarburg Chamber of Commerce, features make-and-take crafts, cookies, cider, music, caroling and a visit from Santa to light the tree. Scott Ash/Now News Group

Acupuncture needles are placed in Elba Rodriquez's forehead in a point that calms the body, and in the ears to balance the body's four planes by Acupuncturist Vashir Xiong in the Aurora West Allis Medical Center emergency department on Nov. 20. C.T. Kruger/Now News Group

Marquette running back Daeleon Brown-Williams (12) is stopped by Muskego defenders at the goal line on forth down in the third quarter during the WIAA Division 1 Level 4 playoff game on Friday, Nov. 9, 2018. Scott Ash/Now News Group

Milwaukee band Ocean Rush performs during the second annual "Lighting of The Corners" in Brookfield on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018. The event features live music, photos with reindeer, holiday crafts, a visit from Santa and the Winter Princesses, and the lighting of a 30-foot tree. Scott Ash/Now News Group

Waukesha West sophomore Anna Holland (4) jumps for joy as the Wolverines celebrate their quarterfinal win over Arrowhead at the WIAA state girls volleyball tournament on Thursday, Nov. 1. Curt Hogg/Now News Group

Six-year-old Hadley Andrew of Delafield takes a closer look at an ornament during the annual Delafield Tree Lighting event on Friday, Nov. 16, 2018. The event, hosted by the City of Delafield Tourism, featured live music, free cookies, hot cocoa and more. Scott Ash/Now News Group

Mitchel Griep of CenterPointe Boat Services hands off a flat of foodstuffs to Karen Semrad from a boat used to transport a major food donation to the Pewaukee Food Pantry at Gethsemane United Methodist Church on Nov. 21. CenterPointe collected donations from customers and transported a collection by Pewaukee's Asa Clark Middle School that the students had presorted by type and date. C.T. Kruger/Now News Group

Volunteer Myrna Ebling of Cedarburg serves up a delicious bowl of soup during the Empty Bowls fundraising event at the Ozaukee Pavilion in Cedarburg on Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018. Proceeds from the event will benefit Family Sharing's food pantry and provide 600 Ozaukee County families with Thanksgiving dinners. Scott Ash/Now News Group

Navy Veteran Dick Garvy of Oconomowoc salutes the flag while attending the veterans recognition and remembrance assembly at Oconomowoc High School on Friday, Nov. 9, 2018. The event was organized by OHS student Hans Schiefelbein as he works to become an Eagle Scout. Scott Ash/Now News Group

Pius XI head coach Hansi Herzog hoists the gold ball as his team celebrates winning the the WIAA Division 3 state soccer title with a 3-1 win over McFarland on Saturday at Uihlein Soccer Park in Milwaukee. Scott Ash/Now News Group